Awareness Raising Campaigns

DOMESTIC ABUSE AWARENESS RAISING EVENT 2015

Safer Colchester Partnership, working in partnership with Colchester and Tendring Women’s Refuge and Colchester Borough Homes, hosted the 2015 event on 27th November 2015 supporting the National Domestic Abuse Awareness Week, Essex Domestic Abuse Awareness Week and International End Violence Against Women Day.

The event was held at a Market Stall in the centre of Colchester Town. Throughout the day 200-300 people were seen and over 100 information packs containing a Domestic Abuse Helpline Directory, a panic alarm and a torch were handed out.

5 victims of Domestic Abuse were spoken to discreetly, where help and advice was offered. The Colchester and Tendring Women’s Refuge also took details from 2 women who were interested in volunteering opportunities at the Refuge.

The majority of market traders wore a white ribbon in support of the National White Ribbon Campaign which wants to end violence against women.

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Slavery is not merely a historical relic. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) more than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery. Although modern slavery is not defined in law, it is used as an umbrella term covering practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking. Essentially, it refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power.

In addition, more than 150 million children are subject to child labour, accounting for almost one in ten children around the world.

Facts and figures: An estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery, including 24.9 in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage. There are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world. 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children. Out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labour, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million people in forced labour imposed by state authorities. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labour, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors. ILO has adopted a new legally binding Protocol designed to strengthen global efforts to eliminate forced labour, which entered into force in November 2016.

The 50 for Freedom campaign aims to persuade at least 50 countries to ratify the Forced Labour Protocol by 2018.